What about small property's? Why doesn't somebody write an article on how manage a small property with a small herd? On how to make it better and what to grow? Why doesnt anybody study this? What I'm trying to say is most deer hunters dont have huge land with thousands of acres, so what can someone with smaller land do to sustain a quality deer herd?

I know a past article in D&DH covered this, I'll have to look through them and find out when it was. Also try and search for it online through Google, I'm sure there are some books on the subject too. Good luck!

Herd management on small acreage is problematic because deer travel. Unless you have a high fence, you really can do very little to manage the herd like they do on large properties. That's not to say you can't make your property more attractive to deer, and possibly even make it a core area for some deer. But actual herd management is really, if we're all being truthful here, out of the question.

That being said, anything that is done on large properties can also be done to a smaller scale on smaller properties to make them more attractive. So just take what you read about large properties and implement it on your own smaller property.

We have 100 acres with a couple of large feeding foodplots, a couple of smaller hunting food plots, a pasture with NWSG, TSI done on part of the timber, a couple of old cattle ponds, trails cut through the woods, the beginnings of an orchard, and an old pole barn we converted to living quarters. Most all our ideas have come from forums like this, as well as books and magazine articles. And we've done all of the work with ATV's, and a chainsaw.

Someday I'd like to write a book about our work and taking what was a worn out piece of cattle pasture and timber and turning into our deer paradise. But it seems like everytime I get started something else comes up.

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” Aldo Leopold

Thank you 69viking and ranwin33. ranwin33 I expected most of what you said, I am not out of the house yet but wanted to make my parents land better for hunting, kind of a training for when I buy my own land. At the moment I cant remember how many acres my parents own, but its not much. Even so, we do have a few deer that regular the area and come back every year but the bucks never stay. I usaully hunt my grandparents land, because its perfect for white tail hunting and it has a nice deer herd, even though its not thousands of acres. I think both of you are right, that i should take what I read and try to apply it. Thanks agian.

Speaking of small properties,,I have found no matter what you do,,,if your neighbors are idiots,,so much for your hunting land. I bought 40 acres in southern IA. A hunter's dream,,right? I planted food plots, apple, pear,persimmon, trees. Cut trails, enhanced bedding,,chinquapin oaks, the whole bit. Then my next door neighbor's place went up for sale. Purchased by a guy that is into racing. This year his kid gets a quad and friends. They rip their land up with loud engines. Some say the deer will get used to it, some say no. At least they are not riding every day. Once a week anyway. This kid is 16 or 17 so hopefully, girls and college, will take him to other interests, but I have learned my lesson. Unless you can buy a large piece of acreage, it all comes down to who your neighbors turn out to be. Next move for me will be a camper and nice truck to haul it. If I don't like the neighbors,,,I move.

I hear you on a lot of this...It's too bad but you can't control what your neighbors do. They worked extra hard for their property as well, and sometimes don't have the same interests. But, like you stated it is too bad...You buy a piece of land and have good neighbors, then that land gets bought up next to you. Nothing you can do. Hope things get better sir!

Deer will travel no matter what you do. I own 25 acres in north Alabama. I plant 4 small plots year round for the last 5 years. Mostly clover and in fall a mixture of rye,wheat,oats and turnips mixed. This year I have evolved into planting soybeans and I have to work hard every day to keep the deer out of the soybean field until they develop. If you plant it they will come and I am a firm believer that if you plant it every year the deer will stay close to your property. Every year I kill bigger bucks than the year before. I find more does fawning in my area because I have better food than my neighbor.Where there are does then the bucks will come and if you plant it they will come.

I feel your pain about working hard to keep the deer out of your soybeans until they develop. I planted 5 acres and had the prettiest stand of beans you could ask for. I tried everything to keep the deer away (planted eagle seed forage beans, put pie pans up, sprayed cayan pepper on them, heck I even ran 1000 ft of drop cord and had 4 inflatable christmas decoration up from 8 pm to 8 am everyday). The beans lasted about a month before being wiped out. Hope you have better results than I did.